B&N gets colorful with the NOOKcolor

Barnes and Noble has unveiled the NOOKcolor, an Android-based color version of its nook e-book reader. The device has a 7" LCD screen, and runs Android 2.1.

At $249, the immediate thought that came to mind was: this is so much cheaper than the rumored $499 wi-fi only Galaxy Tab, reportedly to be sold at Best Buy. However, the device will not have access to the Android Market, although B&N will sell some apps through its own store.

Here are the key specifications of the NOOKcolor:

• No Android Market
• 7" VividView color touch screen (1024 x 600, 16 million colors)
• 8.1" x 5" x .48" (HWD)
• 15.8 oz.
• Wi-Fi (but no 3G)
• Runs on Android 2.1, meaning no Adobe Flash (but upgradeable to 2.2 in 2011)
• 8GB of built-in storage, plus microSD expansion slot
• Built-in Quickoffice software
• Image files supported: JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP files (use personal photos for wallpaper)
• Video playback via Android Media Player
• No user-replaceable battery, but 8 hours of continuous reading time
• Preloaded with Pandora (important, obviously, since there's no Android Market)
• Web browser
• Integrated social networking and LendMe apps
• Price: $249
• Ship date: November 19, available in Barnes & Noble stores, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Books-A-Million stores

Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders now, for the Nov. 19th ship date.

Barnes& Noble will continue to sell the original B&W  NOOK, at $149 for wi-fi only, and $199 for 3G + wi-fi.